Sandoz Secures $322M Deal for Up to 10 Biosimilars with Henlius

Sandoz, a pharmaceutical company, has reached a deal with Shanghai Henlius Biotech to collaborate on up to 10 biosimilars. The agreement is worth up to $322 million and gives Sandoz exclusive rights to develop and market the drugs in countries outside of China.

The initial assets included in the collaboration are biosimilar versions of Amgen's Repatha (evolocumab), Eli Lilly's Erbitux (cetuximab), and GSK's Benlysta (belimumab). Sandoz also has an option to develop a recombinant human hyaluronidase called rHuPH20, which is currently in clinical trials at Henlius.

The deal marks a significant expansion of Sandoz's biosimilar pipeline, which now includes 39 assets. Biosimilars accounted for one-third of Sandoz's total sales in the second quarter, driven by 22% growth in biosimilar sales.